Tbeng Meanchey

Tbeng Meanchey is small provincial capital with little in the way of tourist infrastructure; on the spokes leading away from the traffic circle in the center of town are a a few guesthouses and restaurants but no internet cafes, ATM machines, or any shopping opportunities worthy of note.

Most likely you have arrived in Tbeng Meanchey with your own transportation, so getting around shouldn’t be a problem; if you arrived by bus, your only transportation option is motodop taxi, which will typically be people with motorbikes looking to make an extra buck.

Most restaurants and hotels are near enough each other and of similar enough quality that you can simply pop into one, decide if you like it, and if not move on to the next place.

• Prasat Preah Vihear: this amazing Khmer temple is one of the best in Cambodia both for its design and its spectacular setting.
• Koh Ker: former capital of the Khmer empire with grandiose temple ruins amidst beautiful countryside where few visitors venture.
• Preah Khan of Kampong Svay: the largest and most remote temple in Cambodia; ideal for adventurous ‘tomb raider’ travelers.
• Joom Noon Silk Project: A silk weaving project employing and raising awareness for Cambodia’s poor.

Preah Vihear shares its tropical climate with the rest of Cambodia; a ‘dry season’ that lasts from November to May and a ‘rainy season’ that runs from June to October. Temperatures are relatively constant (i.e. hot) throughout the year but humidity can vary. There are times of the year that are noticeably cooler or hotter, and as is normal for a monsoon climate, times when heavy rain is nearly constant. Preah Vihear is fine to visit during most of the year, though the hottest months from March to May can be too hot for comfort.

Humidity and rainfall may vary through the year, but Preah Vihear is typically hot. Few visitors will experience something they would call cool. Temperatures in the day range throughout the year from above 100°F in the early afternoon to around 70°F at night.

The hottest time of the year in Preah Vihear is toward the end of the dry season, when daytime temperatures can be dangerously hot. During the wet season, although copious amounts of rain are dumped on Preah Vihear with monotonous regularity, rainstorms and thunderstorms often last just one or two hours in the afternoon.

While monsoon rains may provide respite from the intense Cambodian sun, torrential rains wreak havoc on rural dirt roads, which become muddy morasses; travel to areas serviced by these roads, such as the ruins of Preah Khan of Kampong Svay can become difficult to impossible in the monsoon season months (June-October) for those without 4-wheel drive vehicles or off-road motorcycles.

There is essentially nothing of interest for visitors to do in Tbeng Meanchey town. There is a small local market that could be interesting if you haven’t been to a Cambodian market, but if you are in Tbeng Meanchey, chances are you have been elsewhere in Cambodia.

Other than the obvious sights (the ruins of Prasat Preah Vihear, Koh Ker and Preah Khan), the only attractions of note are the Birding in Preah Vihear at Tmatboey and “the vulture restaurant”, and a Joom Noon Silk Project, the production of silk.

Tbeng Meanchey is most easily accessed from Siem Reap, which is a 3 to 4 hours drive on a relatively new, narrow yet sealed roads. The airport at Siem Reap services flights from around Asia; travelers can also fly into Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh, and make the 125-mile road trip to Tbeng Meanchey though the road between Kampong Thom and Tbeng Meanchey can be un-drivable during the monsoon season (June-October).

A new road between Stung Treng and Tbeng Meanchey will add a new dimension to travel around Cambodia; visitors coming from Southern Laos will be able to short-cut to Siem Reap (via Tbeng Meanchey) without having to drive all the way south to Kampong Cham (12+ hours through to Siem Reap). However, while road conditions are constantly and rapidly improving, construction often takes years longer than planned, so get a solid confirmation about the status of any new roads before planning to attempt such routes.

While, Tbeng Meanchey is only approximately 70 miles south of the Thai Border, visitors from Thailand are only occasionally allowed to make day-trips across the border on foot to visit Prasat Preah Vihear; foreigners are not allowed official entrance into Cambodia at Preah Vihear Temple and can only get Cambodian visas on arrival at O Smach or one of the other border crossings from Thailand or Laos in neighboring Anlong Veng or Stung Treng Provinces.

Most people travel to Tbeng Meanchey from Siem Reap (more than 100 miles depending on route) by bus or private taxi. There are pros and cons to both methods of transportation. The trip by bus is considerably slower than travel by car, as the road is now sealed and has little traffic so cars can travel at dangerously break-neck speeds (itself a potential drawback).

Arriving in Tbeng Meanchey by bus will require you to arrange additional transportation from the town to Prasat Preah Vihear (assuming that’s your ultimate destination), which requires some asking around and negotiation of a return fare. Altogether, however, the bus option is likely to be much less expensive, even if it almost certainly will require you to make an overnight stay in Tbeng Meanchey town.

Hiring a car to take you from Siem Reap to Tbeng Meanchey (and Prasat Preah Vihear) is best done as an all-day road-trip, departing early in the morning and returning in the evening, with stops at either or both Koh Ker and Beng Mealea along the way. Whether you must pay for gasoline or it is included in the price of the car/van/taxi, this is unlikely to be an inexpensive option, although it should not require you to spend a night in Tbeng Meanchey.

A final option for visiting the temples of Preah Vihear is to arrange a trip with an off-road motorbike company, such as Siem Reap Dirtbikes. While most of the roads are now sealed, its still a fun ride through alternatively drab and beautiful countryside, and your guide is likely to find some challenging terrain for you to ride, including the precipitous road leading up to Prasat Preah Vihear.

While Tbeng Meanchey town is not geographically expansive, it is only somewhat centralized, with restaurants, shops, and hotels spread along the roads leading in and out of the center of town.

While it is possible to walk from your hotel to a nearby restaurant, this is less advisable at night as there are no lights along the side of the road that you will be walking along. There are some freelance motodop taxi drivers here and there that will take you from A to B around town, but they aren’t particularly common as there are few visitors in town and most residents have bicycles or motobikes of their own.

Getting to Prasat Preah Vihear from Tbeng Meanchey will require you to arrange your own round-trip transportation, which could probably be arranged from your hotel or guesthouse, though the rate will be dependent upon your ability to negotiate.

As Tbeng Meanchey doesn’t attract many visitors, there isn’t a large selection of hotels or guesthouses. That said, there are pretty standard rooms available with air conditioning, hot water, and cable TV (mosty Thai channels) for around $20 USD.

Most guesthouses and hotels are located near the center of town and as the town isn’t particularly large, it is possible to drive around and check out the various options.

There are relatively few dining options in Tbeng Meanchey, particularly those that cater to foreign visitors. In addition to restaurants at the handful of guesthouses in town, there are a few restaurants that cater to a mostly local clientele, including a number of street stalls selling inexpensive local dishes.

There is almost no nightlife to speak of in Tbeng Meanchey, certainly not any catering to foreign tourists. There are a few local-style beer bars in town, which are basically open-air establishments that have attractive waitresses to serve beers and/or whiskey and a few restaurants that double as ‘bars’ or karaoke parlors.

Since the conflict with Thailand has brought an increasing military presence there are an increasing number of “karaoke parlors” that have ‘karaoke girls’ who aren’t necessarily there to sing. As prostitution is illegal in Cambodia and the military operates with general impunity, it may be best to avoid places where a combination of alcohol and questionable activities could lead you into trouble.

There are very limited shopping options in Tbeng Meanchey. The town has a central market that is typical of most cambodian markets, selling nearly everything local’s need for their day to day lives, including ingredients for cooking and household supplies.